Riu Ocho Rios - All Inclusive

Customer ratings & reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

13624 reviews

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  Honeymoon in Jamaica ❤️

  We spent 10 nights at RIU Ocho Rios for our honeymoon, traveling from the UK, and overall, it was a wonderful experience! Room: We stayed in a side-seaview room, which was spacious and had plenty of storage (lots of hangers for our clothes, yay!). The room was spotless throughout our stay, and the AC worked perfectly—always a bonus in the heat! The only downside was the TV—my husband (😂) was hoping to catch some sports channels like ESPN, but they didn’t always work. Not a dealbreaker for us, but something to keep in mind if you're planning to watch TV on holiday. Cleanliness: The hotel was super clean, and the housekeeping team did a fantastic job. The only issue we encountered was at the swim-up Rastafari bar near the jerk hut. There were always dead flies, hair, and other bits floating around, which made us avoid it after a while. We preferred the pool near the Italian restaurant, which was always clean and quieter. Food: Food was generally good, with lots of options. If you’re a bit fussy (like me 😅) or have allergies, there was always something you could eat, and the desserts were amazing! We tried the a la carte restaurants (Steakhouse and Italian), both of which were fantastic. One downside was that some of the food in the St Ann restaurant wasn’t properly labeled, so it was a bit tricky for me as I have severe allergies. I would recommend asking the staff to clarify ingredients if you have food concerns. The jerk hut is genuinely amaaazing, we had it each day for dinner 😂 We ordered KFC through 876get (other apps wouldn’t accept our British mobile number!)... it took a little while to arrive, but it was hot and fresh when it did. My husband didn’t think it was as good as the hype, though! (Maybe it’s because we didn’t have the munchies!) Drinks: The cocktails were delicious and strong! I loved the fruity ones. If you need a break from the alcohol, they’ll happily make mocktails too. Highly recommend the cocktails at the swim-up bars! Pools: The pools by the jerk hut were fun, but they got quite loud, so we tended to go to the quieter pool near the Italian restaurant. We never had trouble finding sunbeds, even if we didn’t rush out early. However, by day 8, I could have cried from the repetitive pool music—it was catchy at first, but after a while, it got a bit much. 😂 My husband went on the water slides, which were quiet and fun, but the downside was there’s no pool nearby for those not sliding to sit by. I ended up sitting there baking in the heat for about 20 minutes—pretty much a sauna session! Beach: We’re not big beach people, but the beach here was stunning! The water was crystal blue, and the sand was soft. Plenty of sunbeds, so no need to fight for space. The beach was also pretty peaceful. Staff: The staff at RIU Ocho Rios were absolutely lovely—so friendly and always working hard to make sure guests had the best experience. Our TUI rep was amazing; she was so helpful and made sure we had everything we needed. Trips: We did the 9 Mile tour with TUI, guided by TT and CC. 100% recommend it! It was such a fun and informative trip, and if we ever return to Jamaica, we’d definitely go again. Some people smoked or bought space cakes on the trip, but we didn’t feel pressured at all to join in. We also booked the Worthy Park Estate Rum Tour through TUI, but unfortunately, it was canceled. We waited in the lobby for about an hour before our rep was able to sort everything out—she was super apologetic, refunded us, and even gave us a bottle of rum to make up for it! Shop: The hotel shop is pretty expensive. I paid $18 for a pack of sanitary towels and around $15 for a pack of Cheetos! If you’re looking for cheaper options, take a $20 (covers both ways, and the taxi waited for us whilst we shopped) taxi to the supermarket. It’s not far and gives you more variety. The supermarket is walkable from the hotel if you’re up for it. Weather: We were a bit apprehensive about the weather in September because of some reports, but we were lucky! It was sunny all day until around 4 pm, then we’d go back to the room to get ready for the evening. By 6 pm, it was sunny again—perfect for sunset walks or drinks by the beach. Entertainment: The daytime entertainment by the jerk hut was great, especially the pool party—so much fun! We also enjoyed the beach party at night. However, some of the other entertainment (like karaoke) wasn’t really our vibe—it felt a little dragged out. The White Party was packed, though, with guests from not just our hotel but other RIU resorts too, so it felt a little overcrowded for the space. Final Thoughts: Overall, we had a fantastic honeymoon at RIU Ocho Rios! The hotel is lovely, and we felt so welcomed. I would recommend it for a first-time trip to Jamaica, but I think a week would be perfect at this hotel. Any longer and it might feel a bit repetitive. Would definitely come back to Jamaica, and this hotel would be on our list again. Rating: 4/5 for us

  Sep 11, 2025
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  Noisey when staying on ground floor

  Went for a wedding which was amazing. Restaurants were great and the food quality was amazing however the staff can be rude sometimes. I stayed on the ground floor and the noise from other guests was unbearable, shouting at 3am, playing music through speakers etc I was woken multiple times each night. There should be signs saying quiet zone between certain times, and the gardeners shouldn’t be using any loud equipment at 8am outside my room which woke me up one morning.

  Sep 01, 2025
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  Excellent

  My family (2 adults, 2 children aged 14 and 12) had a wonderful 10 night stay at the Riu in August. We had 2 rooms - a junior suite and a standard suite/room. Both were of a large size with an enormous bed and minibar facilities which were well topped up on request regularly. Housekeeping was impeccable. Breakfast was plentiful with options for all, including excellent freshly made omelettes. The lunch buffet similarly was superb, with so many options and cuisine types. Outside of the buffet, there was a jerk food station next to one of the swimming pools - this serves up freshly barbequed jerk chicken every day and either chicken or beef burgers most of the other days too. The jerk chicken and burgers are top notch, went there pretty much every day at least once if not twice! The queues can get slightly long for the buffets and jerk food station but maybe only a 20 minute wait at worst. The dinner buffet is very good too, with a whole array of foods including curries, rice, etc - very well flavoured food throughout. Drink options throughout are very good, with more than enough cocktail options as well as smoothies, mocktails, soft drinks, hot drinks - pretty much everything you can think of. Mostly all branded stuff too. The staff work very hard in all departments there, full credit to them. Shout out to Romaine, Reinaldo and Mark bar staff, Shernette at the breakfast buffet and Anthony at the jerk food station. The entertainment team are excellent, high energy and respectful. We did have one small bad experience on our last night there at the dinner buffet with waitress Danika - the hall was very busy and my family was waiting patiently for a table to be cleared. We notified the waitress so she is aware that we are awaiting a table, who went into a huff complaining that it was too busy - and then proceeded to clear up other tables where nobody was waiting! Unacceptable - another lovely customer saw all this going on and joined me in making a complaint to the duty manager who apologised and sorted it. We wouldn't have minded waiting for even 20 minutes for the table but it was a lack of acknowledgement and respect that wound us up. Giving the benefit of the doubt, we all have bad days and moments so perhaps this was just one of those times for the waitress. The 2 pools and 2 adult pools with swim up bars are very good - the one side is more of a louder, party style experience, whilst the other side is calmer and more serene (which we preferred). The beach is literally a minute walk away and is lovely golden sand with ample sun loungers on hand. Sun loungers around the pool are more than enough and no sun lounger wars were going on during our stay there! Highly recommend.

  Aug 28, 2025
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  Be careful of clicking on links in confirmation

  I recently stayed at the Riu Ocho Rios in Mammee Bay, and overall, it was a nice vacation. The hotel boasts beautiful grounds and well-kept facilities, making it a lovely place to unwind. The pools are inviting, and the beachfront is stunning, perfect for those sun-soaked days. The food options were decent, and I appreciated the various cuisine available. However, I did notice that the hotel is quite family-oriented, which might not be ideal for those seeking a more tranquil, adult-only experience. There were a lot of children running around, which, while lively and fun for families, created a more boisterous atmosphere than I was expecting. One major issue I encountered was with the transportation to and from the airport. I clicked on a link provided by the hotel to book a ride, but it turned out to be a third-party service that failed to show up, leaving us stranded for a ride to the airport. Despite having already paid for the service, I found myself in a stressful situation. The front desk supervisor at the hotel was helpful and tried to assist, but the hotel as a whole took no responsibility for the third-party service, which was disappointing. In summary, while the Riu Ocho Rios offers a nice stay with great amenities, I would caution future guests about the family atmosphere if you prefer quieter environments. Additionally, be very careful when booking transportation services through links provided, as my experience was far from satisfactory.

  Aug 27, 2025
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  Dining room

  My experience was really great and I want to thanks Justin who works morning shift in dining room and DA'shaun night shift dinning room great workers very focused and move with speed they are very professional and always pleasant next time

  Aug 26, 2025